


Presuming

by SavageDarling



Category: The Worst Witch (TV 2017)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, F/F, Hicsqueak, I Will Go Down With This Ship, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, Pipsqueak - Freeform, Useless Lesbians, hecate - Freeform, i love them
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-29
Updated: 2018-09-29
Packaged: 2019-07-20 08:30:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,491
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16133522
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SavageDarling/pseuds/SavageDarling
Summary: Pippa and Hecate meet again after 30 years and Pippa is having none of what Hecate is throwing her way. Also, Pippa believes that Mildred deserves so much better than the way Hecate treats her. Based off of 1x10 and will be canon-divergent after that probably. Also, hints of Mildred being gay but that isn't the main point of the story.





	Presuming

It takes everything in Pippa not to throw sparkling balls of fire directly at Hecate’s head (Against the Witch’s Code or not she definitely wants to). Hecate had broken her 30 years ago, stood her up. Thirty years is a very long time and she wishes it had been enough to erase this thing between them. It feels almost malleable in her hands, the way her magic does sometimes. Arriving at the school is fine, Pippa knows how to make an arrival, but she’s alone on that broom looking at Hecate on the ground and suddenly she’s back to 30 years ago. 

The spelling bee is interesting to say the least, feelings aside, and its good to see Hecate again. Pippa thinks she looks just as lovely as ever (if she’d just let her hair back down of course she’d look even better). Oh and Mildred’s everything Pippa remembers about herself from school and she has to admit it stings a little, and Ethel reminds her of Hecate so much. But she has to remind herself that in the end Ethel and Mildred are not she and Hecate. Ethel and Mildred aren’t friends, probably won’t ever be. Mildred lacks the grace and popularity that Pippa had possessed throughout her youth. Ethel is much sneakier than Hecate had ever even tried to be. She’s standing in front of the two girls for just over a minute and she already knows so much. 

It’s only an hour or so later that she catches Mildred walking alone in a hallway. “You look like a witch that’s lost a broom and found a twig,” Pippa says rounding a corner to walk in whatever direction Mildred decides to go. 

“I’m just worried about Tabby is all,” Mildred says. She sounds sad and Pippa wonders if that’s how she sounds when she talks about Hecate. 

“Tabby?” Pippa asks, for clarity on what exactly a tabby is.

“He’s my cat, or at least he was,” Mildred says and then Hecate’s voice rings out and Mildred basically runs away. Pippa remembers a similar situation where it was her voice and Hecate was the one running, always running away. 

She stands there, she promised herself a long time ago if Hecate ever appeared before her she’d not let a single thing make her run, not the way the other Witch had. They stand staring for a minute and then Hecate walks past her, rather briskly and Pippa must admit she’s somewhat amused at the whole thing. 

Talking to Mildred, helping Mildred makes her feel better about things for some reason. She decides to visit her later that night; there are things she wants to know about Hecate and things she wants to tell Mildred. 

She appears in Mildred’s room that night, not empty handed have you. “I thought you might be hungry,” she says. She hands the donut to Mildred tells her not to worry. “Dear old Hecate, she takes things so seriously.” The eye roll is evident in her voice and Mildred is still staring at her with that bewildered look on her face. 

And Pippa is prepared for a lot of things but Mildred is full of surprises. “How do you two know each other?” Mildred asks and it is a simple enough question with a simple enough answer but it still strikes Pippa how Mildred is the first person to ask her that since she’s arrived. 

Pippa decides to give the simple answer because this is supposed to be about Mildred, not about her and Hecate. “We were friends, once.” She says, leaving it at that.

Then Mildred asks another question, “But you’re not anymore?” 

She hates that her immediate response would be to say they are still friends because a friendship like theirs doesn’t just die. They’re still friends, the best of friends, they’ve just been having a fight for the last 30 years. Instead she chokes out the words “I’d rather not talk about it,” before she collapses back on the statement and sits next to Mildred on her bed. “It was a broomstick waterskiing display. We’d been practicing all term and then suddenly on the day of the competition she didn’t show up. Let’s just say a double’s display with only one of you doesn’t go well.”

She knows she sounds defeated and Mildred, for all that she is, doesn’t even look upset at what she’s just divulged about Hecate’s past. Something in that statement should have surprised Mildred, some of it still surprises her to this day. For one Hecate did things that were outside of conventional potion brewing, classic Witchery and besides that Hecate ran. Anyone she’s ever told this story to has been appalled that Hecate stood her up, but Mildred just looks like she understands. She thinks then that Mildred might have more in common with young Hecate than with young Pippa. 

Mildred confides in Pippa, tells her she’s worried she’s going to muck it up. Pippa tells her that all she can do is her best. Mildred worries her best won’t be good enough and it’s too much for Pippa because she’d had very similar conversations over 30 years ago and now is just not the time to relive it. She summons Tabby and leaves a moment later. 

She sleeps soundly that night, far from Hecate and Mildred. In the morning, just before the spelling bee, she hears Hecate with Ethel and Mildred. Pippa would swear it were not true if she had not heard it with her own ears. Hecate talks about Mildred as if she is an embarrassment to not only herself but also the entire school and for an instant something inside Pippa wants to break open and tear Hecate apart. She does not want to do such a horrendous thing, not really, but she is just angry enough to believe she does. 

After the first six rounds there is a break so Pippa meanders off finding Mildred back stage alone. “It’s not fun being shunted aside is it?” Pippa asks Mildred. The words are meant to be for Mildred but they somehow become hers anyway. 

“I don’t mind,” Mildred says and God how Pippa hates that Hecate is doing this all over again to this girl. And maybe it is not all Hecate but that thought does not even really cross Pippa’s mind until later, when Ethel is chastising and telling Mildred everything she’s doing is wrong. 

“I take it this is because you do not come from a witching family. Oh don’t worry. We have people who come from all walks of life at my school,” Pippa says as Mildred’s face clouds with worry. She always seems worried. 

“You do?” Mildred asks. 

Pippa shakes her head and smiles at the girl. No one had given her or Hecate support as children to let her and Hecate know it was okay to be different. She will not let the same happen to Mildred. 

“You’re the odd one out Mildred. Why not come to a school that is more suited to your gift.” The things she says are genuine but they feel tainted with a need to prove something to Hecate.

“You think I have a gift?” Mildred asks her.

“From the first moment I saw you.” Pippa is persistent in getting her point across to Mildred, that she is not a failure.

But for some reason it doesn’t seem to be working and Mildred says, “Ms. Hardbroom doesn’t think so.” 

“That’s because she’s set in her ways. We’re what you call a modern witches school and it just so happens we have a scholarship up for grabs. We think you’re a very special witch Mildred. We’d love to have you in our school.” The longer she talks to Mildred the more the words coming out of her mouth feel like they are tainted with Pippa’s need to prove something to Hecate. To show Hecate that she isn’t broken, even if she is. 

The last round starts to see who has won the spelling bee and Pippa gives Mildred and Sapphire a chance to show what they can do pulling from the rulebook. Ms. Cackle is curt with her. Much more curt than Pippa thinks is at all necessary and for a woman known for her kindness she sure isn’t showing any to Pippa. Pippa wants to be abrasive and rude back but years have taught her that under the broom remarks are better appearance wise and sometimes even more jarring and hurtful. Pippa hates to say it but she isn’t fond of just how possessive Ms. Cackle is of everything around her the school, the students, and even the staff (Hecate in particular). Although she imagines if roles were reversed she wouldn’t be that kind to Ada for honesty’s sake. 

Mildred and Sapphire come to the cauldrons and suddenly Pippa’s senses spike because she can hear Hecate saying quietly, accusingly, “You’re doing this just to spite me, aren’t you?”

If Pippa were honest with herself it is part of why she’s doing this, another part of her just wants to give Mildred a chance to show she can succeed. But Hecate’s right, since the moment Pippa stepped her pink clad foot on the grounds she has done everything with Hecate at the forefront of her mind. Why shouldn’t she? Hecate had been her world years ago, her everything and here they were pretending like all they’d had was a little spat. 

“I just remember what it’s like to be shunted aside like an old broomstick.” Pippa forgets where they are for a moment and almost says the words at normal volume. She’s embarrassed to think she might have done it if not for Ada smirking beside her in her immediate peripheral vision. Why in the name of the Great Wizard is Ada smirking? Looking at Ada makes Pippa feel likes she has been replaced which is a strange feeling to have because it has been years since she was Hecate’s, if she ever was really Hecate’s.  
Mildred wins the spelling bee and she’s proud of Mildred, so proud, and she hears most of Cackle’s Academy cheering her on and two girls holding up a sign with Mildred’s name painted on it. If she or Hecate had friends like that, friends who told them they were loved then they probably wouldn’t be here right now, fighting like this. If Hecate had other friends who cared as much as these girls she probably wouldn’t have run so far and so fast away from Pippa. Pippa smiles at Mildred and winks, wants Mildred to know she’d done this, given this opportunity and she’d had full faith Mildred would succeed. 

She can see Hecate clapping too, small movements. When Pippa and Mildred lock eyes Pippa can tell by the slowing of Hecate’s claps that she knows something is afoot and has seen the look between the two of them. Just after the spelling bee, after everyone’s dispersed and Pippa is preparing to take the children back to the school Mildred comes over to her. “Ms. Cackle wants to see you Ms. Pentangle,” Mildred tells her where to go hurriedly before scurrying off. 

Pippa admits that it is weird but Mildred is a rather interesting child. She wonders why on earth Ms. Cackle had not just told her she wanted to talk herself and why on earth were they not meeting in her office. She sees Mildred a moment later talking to Hecate who looks rather, well, confused. Pippa should know something is afoot, and she thinks she would know if it were not for Hecate and her rather stupid face. 

When Pippa walks into the classroom there is no Ms. Cackle. There is just a very rigid Hecate standing there. Pippa sets down her broom tells Hecate that she is supposed to meet Ms. Cackle here, Mildred told her to, and Hecate says Mildred said the same to her.

“I have a feeling someone has been playing a trick on us.” Pippa says the words, a bit of a laugh catching in her throat and Hecate will not even look at her. She wants to reach for Hecate, to touch her, but the two of them are standing a broomstick apart and she cannot force herself to close the distance. 

Hecate quips out “It would appear so,” before staring back at the ground. 

Pippa should just leave it alone, knows she should. Instead of doing that she says, “I should probably tell you that I’ve offered Mildred a scholarship.” For a moment Pippa thinks this might just make Hecate happy. She’s very wrong. 

Hecate doesn’t let much show when she’s upset but Pippa knows her, knows better. The way her lip twitches and her eyebrows lower themselves ever so slightly let Pippa know that she is upset in this moment. Pippa had never meant to upset her but Mildred deserves all the love and support and if Hecate is not going to give it to her then Pippa will step in. 

“Is that the time. I’ve got a long flight ahead of me,” Hecate isn’t speaking to her and Pippa is prepared to run, is about to run. Then she reminds herself she’d promised a long time ago that she wouldn’t run the next time she was near Hecate and so she doesn’t. She turns again to Hecate. “You were my best friend Hecate and then suddenly you just stopped talking to me why?” The words are harsh against her tongue. 

Hecate responds, not looking her in the eye. “You were always the popular one, you didn’t want me getting in your way.” Pippa wants to slap the deflated way Hecate says the words right out of the room because even after so long Hecate is still unsure of herself and Pippa hates that. 

Pippa says what she had wanted to tell Hecate all those years ago. “I didn’t care about those silly witches. You were the only one I wanted to be friends with.” Pippa means every bit of it, wishes she could get up the courage to say the other part, which is that Hecate was the love of her life, is the love of her life?

And Hecate is responding to her again, “But I thought,” Pippa interrupts her so fast because she will not stand to have someone belittling the love of her life, even said love of her life. “What? Because you were the tall, gangly one I’d rather spend time with them?” And Pippa is finally staring directly into Hecate’s eyes and Hecate is staring back, firmly. Pippa tries to form words but fails and starts again. “All this time we spent hating each other. I’ve missed you Hiccup.” The nickname, old but familiar, is a bit of a slip but the phrase is out there and Pippa wouldn’t take it back for anything. She needs to know if Hecate misses her just as much as she’d missed Hecate. 

And Hecate doesn’t respond at first and Pippa thinks she might cry but then Hecate has worry and love written across her face and speaks finally, “I’ve missed you too.” The other witch swallows a lump in her throat before letting the name slip through her lips, “Pipsqueak.” And now Pippa is so glad for everything she’s said to Hecate because it has her here.

Pippa thinks she might cry again for a whole other reason and she struts forward, pulling Hiccup into a hug and resting her head on a firm shoulder. She feels the mounds of tension slip away little by little as Hecate allows her head to rest against Pippa’s shoulder. A moment later she feels Hiccup’s eyes go up and knows that a certain someone has interrupted this moment. Pippa can’t blame her, Mildred’s curious about a lot of things just like Pippa had been. 

Mildred scurries off but Hecate is quick on her heels. Pippa is too dazed to think about following so soon. She’d just held Hiccup in her arms, her Hiccup. Mildred chooses to stay and Pippa thinks that Hecate actually looks happy about it. Mildred runs off, probably to tell her friends that she’s staying or that she’s happy to have won. 

She stands there with Hecate for a moment and she hates that the other witch looks ready to transfer at any given second. “I must leave soon but I’d like to return Saturday of next week if that’s all right by you.” Pippa feels desperate, knows she doesn’t sound so but feels it anyway.

Hecate gives one curt nod in Pippa’s direction and says, “That would be acceptable.” Her posture is stiff but her eyes tell Pippa everything she needs to know. Hecate wants Pippa to come back, as soon as she can. 

“It’s settled then!” Pippa says cheerfully and she reaches for Hecate’s hand, brings it to her lips, and leaves a rather pink colored stain on the back of Hecate’s pale hand. Hecate looks baffled, tries to form words but can’t. “And one other thing,” Pippa says now that she knows she’s got Hecate’s full attention, “give Mildred a break. She tries very hard to impress you and I know she struggles but she respects you so much Hecate. And that cat would be a good start. Let the girl have the thing back, it’s like family to her.”

Hecate raises her eyebrows and turns up one side of her lip ever so slightly. “Familiars aren’t family, Pippa.”

Pippa smiles and her eyes crinkle a bit at the corners. “Yes I know Hecate, and neither are we. But I’ve been very upset not to be around you for the past 30 years and I imagine that Mildred feels quite the same about that cat.” Pippa can practically see the way that Hecate tenses at the sentence and how her body must work abundantly so as not to allow Pippa to see her smile. 

They part ways and Pippa packs up her children, tells them to go say goodbye to the other students while she says her thank you to Ms. Cackle. Pippa knocks on the door very precisely 3 times. “Come in,” comes Ms. Cackles voice through the door, quite loud and clear. 

Pippa enters, shuts the door behind her, and surveys the room. It is nice and simple enough with books and papers strewn about, it reminds her of all the work waiting back at her school. “I just wanted to say thank you, Ms. Cackle. For allowing us to compete at your school and for being so hospitable.” The words feel rather forced but Pippa had been raised with such formalities. 

Ms. Cackle looks up at her, head tilted down and quill in hand. “Come now Pippa, we have so little time and so much to talk about. Let us not waste our time with formalities. And you must call me Ada from now on.”

Pippa can’t help but let confusion register on her face and she sees a mischievous smile play across Ada’s lips. “I rather believe I don’t know what you’re talking about Ada.” 

“I’ll cut to the chase then won’t I,” Ada sighs taking off her glasses and setting down her quill. “What are your intentions with our Hecate?”

Pippa almost laughs, because what kind of question is that. What are her intentions with Hecate? To love and cherish every moment with her of course, but Ada doesn’t mean… Well she can’t mean… Does Ada know what she’s implying? “I’m sorry? What on earth do you mean?”

Ada smiles that smile again, the one that Pippa is already sick of. “You know exactly what it is I’m implying. Now I asked you a question dear and I’d like an answer.”

Pippa tangles her hands together in front of her and sits in a chair across from Ada. “Well,” she starts, “I simply want to spend as much time as I can getting reacquainted with Hecate. Whatever amount of acquaintance she is okay with accepting that is. In other words, I’m willing to take whatever Hecate’s willing to offer.” 

Pippa means the words so much and Ada must know that because she smiles at her, a real smile without a trace of a smirk. “I didn’t mean to be so abrasive to you Pippa. It’s just that Hecate is very important to me and I would rather not see her hurt in any way. I could see how much she cares for you and it worried me.”

Pippa smiles and tilts her head. “I do understand Ada but I hope you see now that however Hecate feels about me I feel it right back double.” 

The two commence with small talk for a moment before Pippa leaves with her students. She doesn’t want to leave, she wants to stay with Hecate forever but she knows she’ll see her in less than two weeks and that’s enough for now.


End file.
